10 Things You Need to Eat in London This WeekBy Alicia Grimshaw
Hungry? Thought so. If you’ve got food on the brain, we’re here to help. Here’s the best places to get your foodie fix in the capital this week. Get your knife and fork at the ready, and remember to always order dessert:
1. For a New Permanent Site: Made of Dough
What: Made of Dough’s long awaited permanent site on Bellenend Road, Peckham is offically open. Since their arrival at Pop Brixton, Best pals Ed and Henry have earned themselves a legion of devoted dough fans thanks to their Mediterranean inspired pizzas. Quite possibly the best pizza this side of the Channel Tunnel.
Why: The neighbourhood hangout features an alfresco dining spot tucked at the back, and a cheeky little bar at the front. All of their pizzas are made with dough which has been fermented in 2 ways for a minimum of 60 hours – they import all of their ingredients from Campania and Andalusia, and their flour is milled in Italy. Authentic pizza at its finest. Renowned for their chorizo pizza among others, Made of Dough have created some new additions exclusively for Peckham, such as a Merguez collaboration with local Peckham butcher Flock & Herd. They also serve incredible gelato shakes, including a diary-free Jackpot peanut butter shake.
Where: 182 Bellenden Road, Peckham, London SE15 4BW
What: We all know it’s not how big it is, it’s what you do with it (saucy). This summer GBK is asking burger lovers to prove how big their bite is to mark the launch of its latest special, the Big Mouth, available now.
Why: This new burger is definitely worth getting your chops round. It’s a 6oz beef patty, smothered in Yeastie Boys Bigmouth beer-infused cheese, topped with bacon monster crunch, beef ketchup and smoked chilli mayo, served in a brioche bun. To see how you measure up, GBK has created a bespoke burger-bite ruler. Head to GBK and share a snap of your Big Mouth bite with @gbkburgers using #GBKBigMouth and the size in cm (i.e. #4cm). Every week, until the 15th August the biggest bite(r) will be in with a chance of winning a free meal for themselves and ten mates – that’s ten free meals up for grabs.
Where: Locations here
What: After a series of sell out restaurant pop-ups and events, the Claw team have set down roots in a new shipping container, part of the new food hub on Finsbury Avenue Square (alongside Wolf, Yolk and Sub-Cult) serving up their signature dishes from breakfast through to evening.
Why: Championing sustainable British seafood, the new all day menu includes top notch crab rolls, lobster and cray fish rolls, crab fries, poke salads, and crab cheese toasties. Basically, a lot of crab. If you’re an early riser, Claw is open from 7am, and do an awesome smoked maple bacon and scallops English muffin.
Where: Finsbury Ave, London EC2M
4. For a New Dish: Shoryu Ramen
What: Shoryu Ramen specialises in Hakata tonkotsu ramen from the Hataka district in Japan. The ramen is made with a thick, rich pork soup which bubbles away for over 12 hours, served with pork belly and thin ramen noodles. So far, so good. Now, imagine adding truffle into the mix, and you have yourself the most intensely delicious thing you will eat this month. This is ramen on crack, and you need to try it.
Why: There is nothing on earth which hits that savoury spot quite like a steaming bowl of ramen, and Shoryu are up there with the best ramen purveyors in our fair city. Alongside a banging bowl of liquid gold, you can also sample other delights from the menu, ranging from homemade kimchee and Wagu buns to light and succulent sashimi. Also don’t forget to round the salty feast off with a sweet summin’ summin’: green tea and salted caramel mochi balls will do the trick. Heaven.
Where: Locations here
5. For a New Indian Restaurant: Hankies
What: Do you remember when everyone was going nuts for Dishoom? Well now there’s a new kid on the block – Hankies Cafe. So called for the fluffy hand-spun roti, or ‘hankies’ served up alongside tasty indian small plates. Every single dish on this menu (trust us, we’ve tried ‘em all) is perfect, with the daal, pumpkin paneer and chicken dhaba stealing the show. And to top it all of, this place is cheap as…roti.
Why: When you’re in central, and you think you have to settle for something expensive or crap, or both, this magical place will be your saviour. You won’t know it from the basic interiors, but the plates dished up in this place will knock you out. Order 3 or 4 dishes between two, and save some space for their truffled cheese rotis to mop up every last morsel.
Where: 67 Shaftesbury Ave, London W1D 6EX
6. For New Mezze Dishes: Pivaz
What: Pivaz is one of those unassuming little restaurants which secretly serves up stupendous Turkish fare in the heart of Hackney. Their menu in fact fuses Turkish, Mediterranean and European elements, and includes all the staples – from mixed grill to adana. You really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu, and, most importantly, you can wrap your nashers around one of their deliciously juicy wraps.
Why: Hackney isn’t short of hidden gems serving up very good food, and it’s always useful to have a favourite up your sleeve for those nights that you’re just pining for a mixed grill before hitting da club, rather than after. The other thing to come to Pivaz for is the meze – both hot and cold. And the fried calamari and cacik are to die for.
Where: Pivaz Hackney, 4 Chatsworth Rd, London, E5 0LP
7. For a New Summer Menu: GAIL’s
What: GAIL’s Bakery have launched their new summer menu, featuring a range of wholesome and nutritious breakfast and lunch items that are both vegan and veggie friendly. Next bit of hot news: GAIL’s is launching a new gluten-free sourdough loaf next month.
Why: Highlights from the new summer breakfast menu include a chia, coconut and raspberry pot; quinoa, strawberry and pistachio pot; mixed seeds, blueberry and passionfruit pot; and a summer fruit salad. For lunch, there’s a range of new lighter salads which are suitable for vegans like the quinoa, raw veg and avocado salad, and the vegetable cakes with raw cauliflower and green tahini. Lastly, there’s the summer greens, wild rice and roasted broccoli.
8. For a New Afternoon Tea: JING Tea x Dry Martini
What: Dry Martini has partnered with JING Tea to offer everyone a truly eccentric and unique afternoon tea. Aptly titled, Mar-Tea-Ni the new afternoon tea is exclusive to Dry Martini London and features a selection of specialist teas by JING Tea, including blackcurrant and hibiscus, organic jade sword, and white peony and chai.
Why: The menu offers lavender, green tea, fruit and plain scones served with Devonshire clotted cream and mixed berry preserve, a chocolate Martini mousse eclair, mango cheesecake, and chocolate and vanilla gateau. Savouries include aubergine on tomato brioche, lamb and mint on charcoal toast, and pork and pickle on white sourdough.
Where: Dry Martini, Meliá White House, Albany Street, Regent’s Park, London NW1 3UP
9. For a New Restaurant/ Department Store: Sans Pere
What: Now open, Sans Pere is a lifestyle house where homeware, patisserie, speciality coffee and even a new home is on the menu. In homage to the owner’s roots in property and interest in architecture, visitors of Sans Pere will also be able to speak to a new breed of hot-desking, ethical estate agents to discuss property needs over a coffee and pastry.
Why: The lifestyle space brings together the likes of creative Head Patisserie Chef Jordan Duclaut, a young pâtissier with experience in high-end hospitality at Alain Ducasse restaurants – think simple, elegant and bite-sized patisseries, and Will Pitts, Head of beverages. Will is one of the country’s top baristas and has achieved the official title of Third Best Tea Brewer in the World. Origin coffee roasters, in Cornwall, provides Sans Pere’s very own custom house espresso, and it’s a delight.
Where: 84 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3JL
10. For a New Charitable Cause: Radio Alice
What: To celebrate the opening of their new pizzeria in Clapham, Radio Alice will launch their Gold Coin Campaign to raise money for Libera Terra – the co-operative who produce organic wine in Sicily on land liberated from mafia control. From Monday (26th June) until the end of July, guests will be able to buy a second pizza for £1, with all proceeds donated to Libera Terra.
Why: Championing the belief that pizza starts with a light and digestible sourdough base, the integrity in ingredients extends from the dough through to carefully sourced toppings. Allowing the dough to ferment for 24 hours, Radio Alice’s pizzaiolos use type 1 organic flour, with more nutrients than standard, refined flour and seasonal, organic toppings from Prosciutto di Parma with organic burrata and orange infused oil, to Amalfi coast anchovies, tomato, red onion and lemon zest.Guests can buy any pizza and get the second for £1 by heading to www.radioalicepizzeria.co.uk/£1pizza a code will be sent via email on the 26th June in order to redeem the offer, available Mondays – Thursdays for walk-ins and bookings.
Where: 67 Venn St, Clapham, SW4 0BD and 16 Hoxton Square, N1 6NT
